HL Deb 28 April 1994 vol 554 cc51-2WA
Lord Brougham and Vaux

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether they will lay before Parliament regulations to supplement the provisions of the EC Waste Shipments Regulations, which applies on 6th May.

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of the Environment (The Earl of Arran)

The Transfrontier Shipment of Waste Regulations 1994, laid before Parliament on Monday 25 April, will come into force on 6 May, when Council Regulation (EEC) No. 259/93 on the supervision and control of shipments of waste within, into and out of the European Community (the "Waste Shipments Regulation") applies. The Waste Shipments Regulation implements the obligations of the Basel Convention, which, together with the EC, the United Kingdom ratified on 7 February and to which it will become a Party on 8 May. The EC regulation is directly applicable, but additional domestic legislation is required to give full effect to some of its provisions. For the UK, this additional legislation is contained in the Transfrontier Shipment of Waste Regulations 1994.

The regulations designate waste regulations authorities in Great Britain and district councils in Northern Ireland as the competent authorities of dispatch and destination for imports and exports to and from the UK, and designate the Secretary of State for the Environment as the competent authority for transit shipments, and as "correspondent" for the purposes of the EC regulation. Other provisions include conferring powers on customs officers to assist competent authorities in carrying out their functions by detaining shipments where appropriate; and specifying offences and penalties relating to compliance with the regulation. The regulations also provide for the preparation of a waste management plan (in accordance with the Waste Framework Directive).

Public consultations were carried out in March on a draft of the regulations and of the accompanying guidance. The regulations have been modified to reflect the concerns and interests of industry, local authorities and the public in response to those consultations. The Government are satisfied that these regulations will enable the UK to fulfil its obligations under the Basel Convention and contribute significantly towards securing the environmentally sound management of waste movements to and from the UK.